Image source: U.S. Geological Survey. 2010. “Water use data for the Nation” [Image]. Environmental Defense Fund. Available at: https://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/2019/10/24/colorado-river-basin-story-map-highlights-importance-of-managing-water-below-the-ground/
The Colorado River basin provides drinking water and hydropower to over 40 million people and 30 Tribal Nations across the Western United States including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. The U.S. Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs reports that the Colorado River Basin’s 22-year drought period is the longest in more than 100 years of recordkeeping.
On May 22, 2023, the Lower Basin states (California, Arizona, and Nevada) reached consensus on a historic conservation plan to cut water usage from the basin by 13 percent for the next three years. In exchange, the Biden Administration will provide $1.2 billion in federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act for water conservation programs, infrastructure and groundwater storage. The Biden Administration also announced up to $233 million in funding for the Gila River Indian Community for a water pipeline project and a conservation and efficiency program to move towards a long-term solution to save the Colorado River basin. While it is not entirely clear what populations will be most impacted by the states’ conservation plan, a 2020 study by Nature Sustainability suggests the largest reduction in water use will come from the agriculture industry.
While the Lower Basin states’ conservation plan must still pass through several steps of regulatory approval, it is a positive step towards mitigating irreversible depletion of the Colorado River basin. All seven basin states must come to a long-term agreement that equitably distributes water delivery reductions because the health of the Colorado River basin is a vital component of the economic, environmental, and social prosperity of the Western United States and surrounding regions.
